Silence descended, thick as midnight, and the crescendo of uneven breaths increased significantly, either out of complete and utter shock or because of the pervading agony that poised Vi's veins.
"Cait, what the fuck are you doing?" she hissed, only to be silenced by a gun's barrel pointed at her face.
Silco walked over Caitlyn with decisive steps, completely ignoring Vi's complaints. He kneeled in front of her and reached for her neck, and for a terrifying moment, Vi believed he was going to struggle her as punishment for her outright audacity. Instead, he retrieved a golden seashell-shaped necklace which Vi had not noticed before and examined it with his curious good eye. He hummed. Then he glanced back at Seraphine who was shaking, looking back and forth between him and Caitlyn.
"Boss, how can you be so sure that this is not a trick?" Sevika objected but Silco silenced her with a gesture.
"Yes, I suppose this will suffice," he agreed eventually, addressing Caitlyn. "Very well, then. Gentlemen, escort our guests back to their vehicle. Make sure they find the right way out… and that they don't make the foolish decision to return. And you heard the lady; don't hurt any of them."
Vi wriggled, trying to set herself free, but it was all in vain. "Caitlyn, no!" she shouted in desperation. "You can't do that, you can't-"
"Stay quiet, or else all of you will pay the price of your foolishness and none of this will matter," Silco threatened in his hissing voice, but Vi's eyes remained locked on Caitlyn who outrightly refused to return her gaze. He then nodded at his men who grabbed each of them and forced them on their feet. Vi continued resisting, but with her hands tied there was nothing she could do. She managed to get one last glance of Caitlyn over her shoulder before she was pushed out of the room, feeling just as helpless as she had felt when Powder had first fallen ill.
Silco's goons led them back outside from the front door, forcing them to walk in a straight line one after another. Vi could hear Seraphine struggling to contain her sobs, trying to put on a brave face and stay strong, something that she was incapable of doing herself. Her mind was lost in a fog, unable to accept what was happening. It was almost as if her feet dragged her all the way back to Jayce's SUV where SIlco's men cut their tights off and forced them to drive away. Even as they left the Wilson Manor behind, they still could feel the guns pointed at their backs. Finally, Jayce took the turn towards New Meadow and the threat was gone, although none of them felt even remotely relieved.
It was Jayce who finally broke the silence. "What the fuck is going on?" he exclaimed. "Did you know about this?" He addressed Vi. "Did you know about this madness? Is it even true?"
Vi drummed her fingers against the window. "Now's not a good time for that, Jayce. Stop the car."
"So it is true, then. Oh my God-"
"I said, stop the fucking car!"
"It's pointless, Vi," Ezreal tried to reason with her. "You cannot possibly think you can go against Silco's gang by yourself-"
"We are wasting time!" Vi hissed. "I won't say it again Jayce, pull over!"
Jayce finally obliged and slammed the breaks. Vi exited the car first and slammed the door behind her. "Go inform the police and take Seraphine with you to testify."
"They will not believe us without proof, and it will take them ages to issue a warrant-"
"You are sleeping with one of the city councilors' Jayce, figure something out!"
Jayce's ears turned scarlet. "Fine!"
"Go now and don't waste any more time!"
"Wait!" Ezreal yelled. "I'm coming with you."
"Ez-"
The slamming of the door prevented her from finishing whatever it was she was going to say. "Unless you have something important to say, let's not just stand here," he interrupted.
Vi nodded, unwilling to waste any more precious time arguing. The two of them started running towards the opposite direction from the SUV which left a trail of dust in its wake. They didn't follow the road, instead they went through the forest. This time they didn't go straight for the manor but went on an even bigger circle to avoid the front entrance. They knew they were getting close when they passed over the debris of an old brick fence that used to surround the property. Soon, the manor came into view again and Vi and Ezreal grew all the more weary, rightfully so; There was a lot more movement and restlessness this time around, vehicles coming and going and people talking loudly. Vi and Ezreal had to crouch in order not to get spotted into the wilderness. The guards were on the alert.
They finally arrived at a structure on the side of the manor that looked like a garage. Indeed, vehicles were parked in and out, but what stood out the most was the track that was being loaded inside. It was probably the one Sevika had managed to secure for the transportation of Seraphine. Vi's heart dropped, wondering if Caitlyn was already locked up in there, all alone… She shook her head, refocusing. They hadn't been gone for that long, surely they couldn't have already transferred a whole fish tank filled with water in the track, right? They still had some time, but not much.
Going through the garage seemed as impossible as hell freezing over. Vi glanced up, noticing an open window on the side of the manor, hanging conveniently over the roof of the garage. Vi tapped on Ezreal's shoulder then opened at the window. He nodded in understanding. Slowly they crouched towards the side of the garage which remained relatively unguarded. Vi motioned at Ezreal to help her climb to the roof and he remained crouched in order to give her a lift. When Vi reached her hand to help him up, he hesitated.
"Now it's not the time to be a scared cat," she hissed.
"I'm not afraid of heights." Ezreal shook his head. "I think it's just better if I stay behind and try to delay their flight."
"You can't do that by yourself. It's too dangerous! If you get caught-"
"Please, I knew the risks when I volunteered to come with you." Ezreal interrupted. "Don't worry about me, okay? Go fetch Caitlyn. I'll be here deflating tires until you return."
Once again, Vi could not find it in her heart to argue with him at the moment. "Be careful," she only said, then headed towards the window, still careful not to be spotted from the ground. Now that she thought about it, perhaps it wasn't her best idea, but it was her only option. The window was a little higher than what she had anticipated. Using the overgrown ivy that was slowly conquering the wall inch by inch, she climbed up, feeling like a monkey in its natural environment. At last, she slipped inside the house.
She found herself inside a dusty old bedroom. Much to her dismay, the door was locked from the outside. Normally, she wouldn't think twice about breaking it open, but the last thing she wanted was to cause alarm. She kneeled in front of the lock and started working. Ezreal wasn't the only expert at lock-picking; she had spent a great deal of her childhood getting into places she wasn't supposed to be.
After some struggle, she managed to open it. She carefully peeked outside and once she ensured that the hall was empty, she proceeded cautiously. This time, she was determined not to get caught at any cost. She couldn't afford to fail.
The upper floors of the manor were awfully quiet for the most part, but as Vi started descending lower, she heard more and more noise. She came to a halt at the top of the staircase that connected the first and second floors and listened carefully. Somewhere in the distance she heard Sevika's voice and, although she would very much like to give her another lesson, she ultimately decided that she needed to avoid her at all costs. There was no guarantee she was going to win this time.
She waited a little while longer. One of SIlco's goons appeared below and Vi crawled downstairs, sneaking behind him. Before he could get away, Vi pulled him inside the nearest open door, covering his mouth before any of his yelps could alarm the others. Her strong arms performed a professional lock around his neck, keeping him still on the ground, despite his attempts to escape.
"Where do you have her?" Vi hissed. "Answer me, or else I won't hesitate to break your neck like a twig."
"Down… With Silco…" the man gasped. "Let… go…!"
"Sure, bud," Vi mocked before she knocked him out. She tied him on the nearest table with his belt for good measure and then stole his gun.
She waited patiently crouched next to the door, like a predator for its prey. She heard footsteps and voices from outside. She picked up the words "tires" and "flat", which meant that whatever Ezreal was up to, it seemed to be working. She only hoped that he wouldn't get caught in the process.
Finally, after several intense moments, the door opened and a man walked in. Before he could even notice what was going on, Vi shut the door and knocked him out with the handle of the gun. He tied him on the other side of the room. She then carefully walked back to the door and looked through the lock. Soon, another of Silco's goons appeared and as soon as he had passed in front of the door, Vi yanked him inside. She repeated the same process until she had knocked out half a dozen of them. She remained crouched with her ear glued to her door for a long while, until she felt safe enough to come outside. There was not a single soul in view.
Vi continued her descent towards the ground floor. This was the most dangerous part. It didn't help that the staircase squeaked with her every step and Vi cringed internally. She heard more noise coming from the front door and for a moment she froze on top of the stairs. At last, it faded away and she let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. She led herself to the room they had been held in before and she became even more vigilant. The door was slightly left ajar, but even so she could hear Silco's voice loud and clear. She pressed herself against the wall and listened.
"Your silence is only worsening your position."
Caitlyn huffed. Vi's heart skipped a beat. "It can definitely not get worse. And please, don't undermine my intelligence. You need me in one piece."
Silco chuckled. "It certainly wouldn't hurt if some smaller pieces were missing from the whole, would it?" Caitlyn fell silent. "Don't worry though. I don't need you to tell me anything. I have already made my own inferences. I've already found two of you, I'm certain there's more to it."
"You'll never find us."
"You sound so sure of yourself. We'll see about that." Vi could hear Silco smirking. "Now, I'll have to ask you to behave yourself, otherwise there are gonna be some unfortunate consequences. Have I made myself clear?"
Again, there was no response. Vi heard footsteps and quickly withdrew herself away, hiding behind the corner. She saw Silco walking away, but didn't move until she was certain he was gone. Then, she ran into the room.
Caitlyn remained kneeled on the ground, eyes tied behind her back, despair painted all over her beautiful face. Her keen eyes lit up immediately as soon as she saw Vi closing the door behind her. "Vi!" she whispered as loudly as she was allowed to. Vi wordessly cut her ties with a knife she had scooped from one of Silco's goons and helped Caitlyn back on her feet.
"Thank you-" Before Caitlyn could finish that sentence, Vi pressed her against the bookcase that stood behind them, crushing her lips against the mermaid's. Agitation and need reeked out of her in successive waves, like the ones that crushed on the rocks below the lighthouse, and suddenly Vi wished they were back there all by themselves, not having to worry about Silco or anyone else. She kissed Caitlyn like she had never kissed anyone before in her life, so desperately and so intensely, as if she was going to slip right through her fingers.
But breathing. Why did she have to breathe? "Just what the hell were you thinking?" Vi whispered angrily against Caitlyn's lips. "Do you have any idea what you did to me?"
"I…" Caitlyn's voice trailed off, unable to form a coherent sentence, her breath completely unsteady. She blinked a few times, then grabbed Vi's collar and pulled her into another kiss, just as ferocious as the previous one. Vi thought she was going to lose it. She didn't know where to place her hands and they kept roaming, looking for an anchor.
Fade voices ruined the daydream. "We need to go," Vi whispered.
Caitlyn nodded, a blush dusting her entire face. As the fog inside Vi's mind started to clear, she realized that they could not leave from where she had come from. Their only exit was through the windows. Vi approached the closest one and tried to push it up. It didn't move an inch. She moved to the next one and managed to open it only half way through before it got stuck. "Guess this will have to do," Vi mumbled. "Come on."
With a little bit of effort, Vi squeezed herself under the half-open open and landed right onto a bush. Caitlyn, being a lot taller, had a more hard time going through the window, but with Vi's assistance she managed to get through. Together they ran through the back yard hand-in-hand before Silco would return and realize the fish was out of the tank again. Half way through, they came across another of Silco's numerous goons. Vi took notice of his hand reaching for his gun, but before he could raise it against them, she threw a punch on his face with her free hand, knocking him to the ground. A moment later she remembered she had a weapon she could have used instead, but her fists would have to do for now. Caitlyn watched in horror the man hollowing in pain, clenching his potentially broken nose. Vi tagged her.
They finally reached the wall they had encountered the first time they had sneaked into the manor. Without a word, Caitlyn lowered herself to help Vi up and the latter didn't protest. Once she was on top of the wall, she reached down to help the mermaid up and off they went through the woods again. It was a lot harder running through the intense flora, bumping constantly against twings and thorns pincing their arms. When they found the road that led to the manor, they followed it instead although it wasn't entirely safe. Vi didn't think it mattered. Whether they stayed in the forest or not, if they didn't hurry Silco's men would get to them.
Suddenly, they heard a car engine behind them. Vi cursed and retrieved her gun, although she was aware that she wasn't the best aim.. She hastily threw two shots at the upcoming car which went completely amiss. She cursed as the car continued gaining on them. Vi prepared to grab Caitlyn and jump out of the way when the car swerved and stopped right in front of them, one of the doors popping open.
"Don't look at me like that, get in!" Ezreal yelled from the driver's seat.
Despite the initial shock, Caitlyn and Vi jumped in and as soon as the door shut, Ezreal slammed the accelerator. Unfortunately, more cars were on their trail, shooting at them relentlessly. Vi lowered her window and answered back, although only three of her shots found a target, hitting two tired and perhaps a gunman.
"Shit, I'm all out of bullets," Vi cursed.
"Here, take my gun," Ezreal said, weaving the gun over his shoulder. Caitlyn grabbed it and shot seven perfect shots over the open window, not missing once. Two of the cars derailed and crashed on a tree. Vi looked at her in astonishment. Caitlyn shrugged.
"I'm not even gonna ask," she mumbled.
"How's the situation back there?"
"It's alr- WATCH OUT!"
A car speeded towards their direction, aiming to crush onto them. Ezreal dodged literally at the last second, maneuvering the car out of the way. They heard another crush behind them before Ezreal got back on the main road to New Meadow. The persecution however was yet to be over, for motorcycles appeared on each side of the car. The riders started shooting at them indiscriminately and they all had to bend out of the way.
"Fuck, I can't drive like that!" Ezreal complained. "We're gonna get killed either by a bullet or by crushing!"
"We don't have any ammo left!" Vi shouted.
"Oh, to hell with it!" Ezreal screamed and suddenly opened his door, smashing it against the biker that had been aiming at his head not a second ago. The impact was instant. Vi did the exact same thing, hitting another bike and smashing the left back door in the process. Caitlyn did that on the other side, but the biker was aware this time, although dodging the hit proved lethal and he ended up getting out of course.
"Jesus fucking Christ, how many of them are there? I swear there weren't that many back at the manor!"
"It's a whole-ass gang. We must get back to the town quickly," Vi said.
Finally, New Meadow came into view and the closer they were getting to the town, the safer they felt. This whole entire time Vi had not noticed she had been holding onto Caitlyn. Of course, the realization didn't make her willing to let go. They had already been through a lot together. They were almost near the city when they heard sirens in the distance and no one was on their trail, although the car was in a pretty rough condition.
"I never imagined I'd be glad to see cops," Vi confessed.
"Me too," Ezreal agreed. An officer signaled at them to pull over and Ezreal slowed down.
"Get out of the car," he ordered. "All of you!"
"Wait, there must be some kind of a misunderstanding-" Ezreal tried to explain but he was cut off.
"Don't make me repeat myself, boy."
"Just do what they say," Vi quickly whispered to Caitlyn and forced herself out of the car.
"Hands where I can see them," Another officer ordered. They had them pushed against the wrecked car and Vi never felt more annoyed in her life. "What do you want us to do with them, sheriff?"
"Bring them in for interrogation," a man replied. "I'm sure they have a lot to say."
"Marcus, just what the fuck are you doing?" Vi never would have imagined being glad about hearing Jayce's voice.
"My job, Talis. Unless you have a problem with that?"
"You got the wrong people. While you are wasting time interrogating them, the real criminals are running away as we speak!"
"You don't get to tell me how to do my job, Talis," the sheriff growled. "Stay back or I'll find a good reason to arrest you too."
"You are right, sheriff. He doesn't get to tell you how to do your job. But I do."
This voice Vi didn't recognize. Judging however by the sheriff's reaction, it probably was…
"C-councilor Medarda?" The sheriff stammered. "With all due respect, ma'am but I don't think you understand-"
"I understand perfectly well," Councilor Medarda interrupted him. "However, Jayce has proven his worth in the community many times. What I do not understand is why you are choosing not to trust him, especially since he brought you clear evidence as to what is going on in the old Wilson manor. Any particular reason for your reluctance?"
"N-no ma'am…"
"Then I suggest you heed his advice carefully."
The sheriff stammered an apology, then started barking different orders at his men who looked as dumbfounded as Ezreal when they had asked them to get out of the car. Vi huffed at his incompetence, offering a full glare before she was distracted by golden eyes that stared at her and she suddenly felt scrutinized. Mel Medarda was a stunning black presence who carried herself around with grace, yet she also bore authority; it was evident in the way she had spoken to the sheriff just moments ago. She offered them a smile, although Vi couldn't shake the weariness that washed over her.
"Well, that settles it then, although I wouldn't be too relieved if I were you," she said. "I'm hearing that the heirs of the Wilson manor might press charges for invading their property."
Vi and Ezreal groaned. Caitlyn didn't seem to understand. Jayce jumped in.
"You don't need to worry, I'll handle it. I have already talked with my lawyer and she said she will talk with the other side and try to convince them not to press charges."
"Thanks, Jayce," Vi said, visibly relieved."Being a lighthouse keeper doesn't exactly cover legal fees."
"Don't be silly, darling. We wouldn't let you get thrown away after everything you've done for New Meadow," Mel said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to. You make sure you pay the hospital a visit before heading home, alright?"
Mel walked away with Jayce following her with his gaze. Ezreal smirked. "You're so smitten, it's disgusting."
Jayce blushed. "Shut up," he mumbled.
Vi wanted to laugh, but she was also aware enough that she wasn't faring any better than her friend. She was so caught up in her own thoughts about what had happened back in the manor that she didn't notice a string of pink flying literally next from her to land into Caitlyn's surprised arms. Seraphine didn't say anything, but the look on Caitlyn's face said it all. And as she glanced at Vi over the shorter girl's shoulder, Vi knew they were going to be alright.
They had to be.